a little note on bellringing

They ring bells here all the time. And rarely in moderation. And when they aren't ringing for some specific reason, they ring them just for the heck of it. Last night while walking to dinner I noticed that the bells had been ringing for ages, which I then commented about to the general public.

Me: These bells ring an awful lot.

Other Person: Well, the bellringers have to practice.

Me: You mean, the bells are rung by REAL PEOPLE? They aren't just recordings???

Other Person: .....

Needless to say, I once again stunned the general British population with my endless well of worldly knowledge. I may or may not have brought up Quasimodo at this point (not an impressive move).

Interesting fact about Oxford as well: Old Tom, the tower at Christ Church rings a 101 times at 9:05 pm. Apparently this has some traditional origin relating to 101 scholars who used to dine at that time. Also, Oxford time is five minutes behind the rest of the world. Everything starts at five past. This ensures that when we leave our little Oxford bubble we will always arrive fashionably late.

I'm delighted to announce "dishy" as the Britishism of choice in this week's poll. Well done, gentle readers!